The present invention relates generally to the field of construction. In particular, the present invention relates to construction materials for the construction of walls.
The present invention addresses these needs, as well as other problems associated with coupling devices. The present invention offers advantages over the prior art and solves problems associated therewith.
Wall structures in many buildings are comprised of a space between the inner wall, forming a portion of a room, and the outer wall of a building. This space is typically provided for the purpose of placing insulation therein. However, it has become known that this structure, although providing a good position for the placement of insulation, provides a space for the condensation of moisture. This condensation is formed by the temperature difference between the interior temperature of the building and the exterior temperature. The condensation produces several problems including reduction in the insulative ability of the insulation due to freezing of the moisture, molding and rotting of the insulation, and the like.
Devices have been developed in attempts to resolve this problem. For example, it has been proposed to encapsulate the insulation with a barrier layer. The barrier layer has at least one side comprised of a corrugated material to be placed between the inner wall layer and the insulation layer to provide a space for the condensation to occur. The corrugated material was typically fabricated having a plurality of parallel grooves therein that allowed the moisture to drain down the layer and air flow to move upward through the structure. However, this design adds an additional part to the construction process and additional cost in the raw materials required. Furthermore, since the grooves are parallel, the design does not allow for the movement of air in non-parallel directions.
This becomes a problem when one portion of the wall does not receive sufficient air flow from the exterior of the wall and thereby freezing, molding, or rotting can occur in these spaces. This may occur when the grooves have been clogged by debris or when the grooves are obstructed because of the design of the structure.
Another design proposed the placement of a plurality of sheets of material within the wall each having channels formed therein. In this example, one material has parallel channels aligned horizontally and the other material has parallel channels aligned vertically. The channels are formed such that the vertical and horizontal sets of channels do not allow for communication of air or moisture between them. Therefore, although this design does provide additional ventilation as compared with the previous design, it still adds parts to the structure and does not allow for communication of the venting air to non-parallel areas of the wall structure.
The present invention provides a moisture venting structure for use in construction. It comprises a specially designed sheet of construction material, typically utilized as either the interior or exterior portion of a wall.
The sheet of material has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side has a plurality of channels formed therein. The first side is utilized to form a cavity having space for the placement of insulation. The channels provide a plenum for the movement of air for the purpose of venting the structure. The second side is utilized as the wall surface of an interior room or the exterior of a building and, thereby, may be planar and substantially free of indentations.
The channels are constructed and arranged to interconnect at least one channel with another channel. The interconnected arrangement, thereby, allows moisture to move from one channel into another channel. Preferably, each channel of the plurality of channels is interconnected with at least one other channel, thereby facilitating the venting of air from a single channel into every other channel. The preferred arrangement of the channels is at an angle of 45 degrees to each other.
The device may be combined with a vent channel assembly that is mounted to the base edge of the sheet. The vent channel thereby allowing air to communicate between the vent channel and a plurality of the channels formed in the sheet. The vent channel provides controlled access of air to and from the outside of the structure. One preferred design of the vent channel is through use of a j-channel structure. The vent channel may also be formed from a plurality of j-channels connected in series.
The channels formed in the sheet of material can be of any depth and width, however, they should not extend through the sheet. One suitable configuration for the channels provides a depth of xe2x85x9xe2x80x3 and a width of ⅝xe2x80x3. The sheet itself may be constructed from any suitable building material. Two such examples of suitable building materials are plywood and oriented strand board (OSB).
The above mentioned benefits and other benefits of the invention will become clear from the following description by reference to the accompanying drawings.